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Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 10-time winner of the NASCAR NMPA Most Popular Driver, hasn't shared many personal details with the fans who have cast votes for that honor over the last decade. On Sunday, Junior opened up about his family, having children, how he spends his money and getting back to his racing roots.

In a taped interview on FOX Sports 1's "NASCAR RaceDay," Earnhardt Jr. told reporter Wendy Venturini, "I feel really uncomfortable and there's just a lot of attention and it's something I never was all that comfortable with. It's not a big deal. You want to keep some normalcy in your life and feel regular when you get home."

But he credited girlfriend Amy Reimann with helping him as he becomes "more proud of and more comfortable in my own skin."

"Before I was in a relationship with Amy, I was really a recluse and never would leave my bus on race weekend, " Earnhardt said. "I didn't know what was outside the race track. I didn't know what the towns were like, restaurants or anything. She's got me to get out and enjoy and see and do. I think that's really made life a whole lot more fun. People that know me really well say I'm a better person for it."

Reimann and the other women in his life have helped Earnhardt Jr. lead a "laid back" lifestyle and right his way. "I'm a bit obnoxious and sarcastic a lot of the time. I try not to be too annoying. My girlfriend, Amy, and my sister and mom always keep me straight, keep me grounded and from getting too carried away."

The son of NASCAR Hall of Fame charter member Dale Earnhardt used racing terms when he discussed becoming a father.

"I'd love to have kids," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Having kids is like the ultimate win -- probably the most rewarding and greatest accomplishment you can have is raising a child. And I hear it all the time. All my friends that are having babies are telling me how amazing it is, and my sister ... so, yeah, I'm always curious as to what that would be like."

If he were to have children, he would need to clear some shelf space and possibly curb "a little bit of an addiction to eBay and Amazon."

"I think I'm a tightwad, but apparently I'm not, because I'll spend $100 on eBay in a heartbeat," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I collect old magazines, like 'Stock Car Racing.' I've been buying them from the '70s and '80s. I have an alias on eBay. ... I've got a library upstairs in my house that I've kind of gotten this obsession of making it full. Every cabinet and shelf has to be full of books."

Earnhardt Jr. isn't ready to race into the sunset any time soon mainly because he says, "I just feel like I wouldn't know what to do with myself (if he quit racing). If I just stopped racing, I don't know that I could fill the void."

"I really miss the days of loading up a gooseneck trailer and going to Myrtle Beach with your friends -- three or four buddies and a dually -- and racing, and how much fun just getting there and getting home was. I think it would be fun to experience that again because when I was in that moment when I was younger, I was so worried about making it and not making it and failing and winning that I didn't enjoy it as much as I wish I had.

"I wanted to drive race cars for a living and only a select few people get to do that for a living. I wanted to be good and wanted to live up to my name and my father's reputation. And I worried sick about that. I put way too much pressure on myself, so it would be great to go back through that process and just really let it sink in."

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